Shipping container



May 1', 1923. 1,453,430

' W. E. SANDERS SHIPPING CONTAINER FiledfJune 7, 1920 Patented May 1, i923.

WALTEnE. SANDER/S, or TRENTON; NEW JERSEY, ZASSIGNOR To :assnx RUBBER v COMPANY, or 'rnnnron, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY. l x

SHIPPING CONTAINER.

Application filed June 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER E. SANDERS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Trenton, county of Mercer, and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Shipping Containers, of which the fo1lowing s a specification.

This invention has to do with shipping containers and more particularly it relates to containers employed in the transportation and storage of certain forms of rubber articles.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a container adapted to carry rubber articles having portions of varied degrees of flexibility, and for supporting the articles in the container so that thelmore flexible por tions thereof are not distortedlduring shipping, storing or exhibiting. I

A selected embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a view, partly broken away, of

a container with flexible articles mounted therein; 7 a

Figure 2 is a view of a frame with the arti cles mounted thereon;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4c is a view of part of one of the supports 0r partitions; and

Figure 5 is a detail view showing the method of attaching two of the flexible members to the frame.

In shipping and storing rubber goods having varied degrees of flexibility, it is preferable to support them in containers in a predetermined relation so that the delicate or very flexible portions thereof are not distorted or held under stress. It is well known in the rubber art that a continued distortion or abnormal stress of the delicate portions of rubber articles results in their becoming set and therefore unfit for operation in their normal working position.

A container constituting the selected embodiment of this invention was-devised with particular reference to the requirements of shipping and storage of rubber tank balls, and will be hereinafter described in that connection. A typical form of tank ballconsists of a conical part 1 of slight flexibility (see Fig. 2), and a semicircular part 2 attached thereto and constructed of rubber of a much higher degree of flexibility. The

1920. Serial No. 386,976.

part 1 isprovided'with a stud 3 for attachment purposes which is preferably made with screw threads.

Referring to the drawing, the embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of description isillustrated as a container 4 of suitable material preferably divided into compartments, each adaptedto receive a single tank ball. Herein the container consists of a frame 5 for supporting the tank balls 6,

and supports 7 for holding the frame in a.

balls. The -means for attaching the tank balls to the frame preferably consists of a screw threaded member held in or by the frame, and upon which the stud .of the tank ball is screwed until the less flexible part 1 of the ball is firmly drawn against the frame. A

simple and effective connection is secured by providing a screw threaded stud Q'WlllCh is adapted to pass through one of the apertures 10 in the frame, and which has two tank balls screwed thereon from opposite sides of the frame 5 until the conical parts 1 pinch the frame between them and in this manner the tank balls are held rigid with the frame.

This frame with the tank balls mounted thereon is next placed in the outer box 8,

which is preferably collapsible and provided with flaps for closing ov'erits ends. I The frame is supported in the box so that the more flexible portions of the tank balls are out of contact with the inner walls thereof, and are therefore not distorted or put under stress. Any suitable support may be provided to position the frame 5 in predetermined relation to the inner'surfaces of box 8,

the same being herein, illustrated as partitions 7 (see Fig. 4) which interlock and form separate compartments for each tank ball. The width of the partitions is made greater than the height of thetank balls so that the more flexible parts thereof do not contact with the box.

In making use of this container for shipping, storing and exhibiting purposes, the

substantially non-flexible part 1 of the tank ball is employed to support the weight of the whole ball irrespective of the position in which the container may be placed, and the delicate or flexible part thereof is so supported that it is not distorted or put under stress. Should the frame sag or have the tank balls loosely mounted thereon there will be no injury to that part or" the tank ball which is repeatedly flexed under normal operation as the partitions will assist in supporting by contacting With the rim of the substantially non-flexible part 1.

This collapsible container having the frame and the partitions separately movable from the box is advantageously used to exhibit the rubber articles as the frame may be Withdrawn and one set of partitions removed as illustrated in Fig. 2;

This invention may be variously embodied and the particular term of the invention shown may be varied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a container the combination of an apertured frame for supporting resilient articles, means associated with said articles and said frame to holdtwo articles on said frame on opposite sides thereof and opposite each other, a portable flexible box to hold said frame and articles, and interlocked partitions associated with said frame and said articles to retain said frame in predetermined position.

2. In a container for shippingand exhibiting rubber goods the combination of a portable outside box, an apertured frame re ceived in said box and contacting with opposite sides thereof said frame having tank balls firmly pressed against each side thereof by having them affixed to screw threaded st-udspassing through the apertures, removable interlocked partitions contacting with said box and said frame for holding said tank balls separate and out of contact with said box.

3. A package for resilient or fragilearticles comprising an article supporting'partition, means passing through said partition and cooperating with an article on each side thereofto secure said opposed articles to the partition, and an article separating partition connected with said article supporting partition and positioned between adjacent pairs of opposed articles supported thereon.

4. A package for resilient or fragile articles comprising a container, a removable article supporting partition therein, a removable partition cooperating with the con tainer to maintain the article supporting partition in operative position therein, and means passing through the article supporting partition and cooperating With an article at each side thereof to secure lsaid articles to said partition.

In testimony whereof, I have signedmy name to this specification this third day of June, 1920.

l/VALTER E. SANDERS}. 

